Mental Health Resources
With a combined over 80 years experience working in the field of mental health, we guess it's only natural for us to write some of the lessons we've learned for future generations of counselors and for those who may benefit from our experience in our areas of expertise.
Trauma Narrative Treatment
Trauma Narrative Treatment is an evidence-based group narrative therapy approach using a wide range of elements from trauma research, including linguistic representation, externalization, reauthoring, body work, mindfulness, relaxation techniques, art, music, and movement toward the integration of traumatic memories. The six-session model addresses the variety of issues resulting from trauma, such as the loss of a sense of self, fragmentation of memories, feelings of shame and self-blame, rage, feelings of powerlessness, loss of agency, dissociation, grief, loss, compromised social functioning, and spiritual disengagement. The model has been translated into multiple languages and used world-wide, including in Haiti, Rwanda, New Zealand, India, the United States, the Middle East, Vietnam, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and more. It has also been used in alcohol and drug treatment centers and in juvenile detention centers here in the US, to address the trauma often associated with these issues.
Gold Stone
Gold Stone is used in conjunction with Trauma Narrative Treatment to address issues of trauma, grief, and loss. Adrift in sea of hopelessness brought about by the annihilation of his family and community at the hand of early discoverers of the "New World," the young Caonaciba faces the decision confronting every victim of trauma: "Do I choose death or life?" The utter simplicity of the story reveals the hand of master storytellers whose gifts for narrative are enhanced by their intricate knowledge of the human psyche and their redeeming outlook on life. Yvonne Gabriel's inviting drawings illustrate the depths of Caonaciba's paralyzing despair, the abiding presence of the guardian dove, and Caonaciba's painful hesitancy on moving forward. The story can be read on many levels. Its simple story line and winsome pictures appeal to children of all ages, while its timeless message of hope and regeneration engages the brokenness descriptive of the human condition. You can contact the authors to purchase a hardcover copy of the book.
Counseling Veterans: A Practical Guide
Counseling Veterans: A Practical Guide equips readers with foundational knowledge of military culture and common issues experienced by service men and women. This crucial text helps future and practicing counselors compassionately and competently treat individuals who serve or have served in the United States armed forces. The book opens with chapters that discuss military culture and building a therapeutic alliance, providing readers with rich context for treating service men and women and guidance for relationship-building with this specific population. Additional chapters cover common issues veterans face, including war trauma and PTSD, suicidal ideation, traumatic brain injury, depression, and substance use disorder. Female veteran issues, family issues during deployment, and moral injury are addressed. The final chapter provides guidance for counselors with regard to personal wellness, secondary traumatic stress, and imperative self-care measures. Each chapter features learning objectives, definitions, research-based literature on the topic, treatment options and programs, a clinical vignette, perspectives from veterans, and discussion questions. Designed to help readers build critical competencies, Counseling Veterans is an ideal text for advanced courses in counseling. It can also serve as an essential guide for practicing counselors.
Please Share the Door, I'm Freezing: Creating Oneness in Marriage
Please Share the Door, I'm Freezing is a marriage workbook designed to help couples create the oneness in their marriage that God desires and describes. Topics include God's basic elements for a happy marriage, identifying and removing beliefs that create division and destroy relationships, praying together effectively, submitting to each other in love, avoiding pitfalls, living in peace, becoming allies instead of adversaries, partnering with God, and bearing good fruit in marriage. The workbook also offers suggestions for strengthening our relationship with God and for personal growth, while providing steps for deepening marriage relationships. Each chapter builds on the previous section, allowing couples to learn new concepts while reinforcing earlier ideas and strategies. Each section ends with discussion questions for couples to complete together, and easy-to-understand homework to practice what the couple is learning. The workbook reviews common problems in marriages and reveals basic tactics used by the enemy of God to destroy marriages. We present clear, step-by-step strategies to overcome those common problems, and to stand against, and with the help of God to defeat, those tactics that create division. The workbook is designed in such a way that it can be used by couples on their own, in small groups, and in church programs, retreats, and seminars. It is also an effective tool for premarital work, where young couples can establish healthy patterns of relating for the entirety of their marriage.
Ready to Learn
Ready To Learn is an award-winning early childhood classroom program that is based upon an extensive review of research on skills associated with school success. RTL is designed to promote the learning skills and social skills needed for school success. The main skill areas in the RTL program are attending, listening, social skills, and cognitive skills such as understanding story structure and asking effective questions. The curriculum uses five children's stories to teach these key learning and social skills to young children.
